Seed-potato cutter



m, M, 1924. Lllllw P. KNUDSEN S EED POTATO CUTTER Filed May 15, 1924 2 sheetssheet 1 gawawro/a F ETE? Knu SE1-L PETER KNUDSEN, 0F HETLAND, SOUTH DAKOTA..

SEED-IPOTAT CUTTER.

Application led May 15, 1924. Serial No. 713,575.

To all lwhom t may concer/n.'

Be it known that I, PETER KNUDsEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hetland, in the county of Kingsbury and State of South Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Seed-Potato Cutter, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to vegetable cutting machines, and more particularly to that type of cutting machines adapted to cut seed potatoes into relatively large pieces suitable for planting.

An object of this invention is to provide a strong and simple device which may be operated by hand or other power, and which will effectively cut potatoes into the desired number of pieces for planting in the ground.

Janother object of this invention is to provide a cutter having a reciprocal movement and which will cut potatoes at both the forward and return movement of the device.

A further object of this invention is to provide means for separating the potatoes of various sizes, and for cutting the larger sized potatoes into a greater number of pieces than the smaller potatoes, the final cut pieces `being substantially uniform in size irrespective of the initial sizes of the potatoes before being cut.

The above and various other objects and advantages of this invention will in part be described in and in part be understood from the following detailed description of the present preferred embodiment, the saine being illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a device constructed according to this invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view ofthe device, looking downwardly.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view with the tray removed and the pistons in retracted position.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation showing the arrangement of the cutters.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken through Lthe device on substantially line 5-5 of Fig. l, and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing the detailed construction of the pistons which force the potatoes against the cutting devices.

Referring to the drawings, and first to Figs. 1 to 3` inclusive, the device is mounted on a frame having legs or posts 1() which are preferably made of metal and at their lower ends are bent outwardly to provide an adequate base which if desiredvmay be secured yto a floor by bolts or the like. The upper ends of the legs 1() are bent inwardly and' have secured to their upper surfaces side bars llwhich hold the forward and rear legs in spaced relation to each other. 1n order to make the side bars rigid and to hold the legs 10 at right angles to the side bars 11, angular braces 12 have been provided, each being fastened at one end to one of the legs 10 and at the other end to a side bar 11. There have also been provided forward and rear o en frames 13 which extend between the site bars andare secured to the upper faces of the side bars.

A sorting table 14 having upstanding sides, is secured at one end to the'frame intermediate the ends of the latter. The table 14 is inclined over the frame so that when potatoes are placed therein they will gravitate toward the forward end of the table 14. The table 14 is held in rigid posi tion by a pair of bracesl which are bolted or otherwise fastened at their upper ends to the lower side of the table 14, preferably at a point spaced inwardly from the rear end of the table, and at their lower ends to the side bars 11. The table 14 has across its inner end an end piece 16 which is preferably of metal and which has its outer ends bent at substantially right an les tothe end of the table so as to engage t e upstanding sides of the table 14 to which the end piece 16 is attached by screws, bolts or the like. The end piece 16 is also provided with a pair of angular legs 17 which are secured to the frame by bolts or the like.

The bottom of the table 14, at the inner end thereof, is provided with a series of openings 18 which are preferably of different sizes to accommodate the various sizes of potatoes. The openings 18 are separated by a plurality of space bars 19 which are secured at their forward ends to the end piece 16 and at their rear ends to the bottom ot' the table 14. Immediately below the open ings 18 there is provided a series of substantially tubular chambers 20 which are se cured to the frame and which have openings in their upper surfaces corresponding to the openings in the table 14 to permit the dropping of potatoes into the chambers. The chambers 20 have each an opening 21 in its lower side, so that any dirt or foreign mat-A I ter adhering to the potatoes and becoming loose therefrom willfall through the openings and prevent clogging of the device. A plurality of spring lingers 22`-are secured at their inner ends to the chambers 20 and radially arranged with respectthereto, and

have their outer ends extending into the open frames 13 and free so that the fingers can have yielding engagement with potatoes as the potaitcesare forced through tapered tubularpassages defined by 'the fingers. A plurality 'offpistons 25 -isjprovide'ch said pistons being of different sizes 'corresponding to "the "different sizes vof. openings in the chambers 20,'and are attached lto acrossbar Z6 "which V-i's preferably flat and which exten'ds "beyond the outer sides of the frame. The lower sidebf the crossbar 26 yslidably rests upon 'the sidefbars'll, andthe vupper side slidablw engages a bar 27 which is secured to t` e side bar 11 by Abolts or the `like and held in spaced relation lthereto by Y." spacers 28.

lcrankshaft SlPTVY-l-ded at one' and of the frame and isl held in la bearing' 30 which is secured to the yframe and is preferably in two pieces to permit the taking up s of wear-in the bearing. The crankshaft- 29 isprovided with cranks at both ends which vare directly opposite one another. A pair of connecting rods531 engage at one end the` cranksf2`9- and at'theirwother end thevouter y ends of the` crossbar 26 soci/that when the vSti s bearing member 30 at a predetermined disdefined lby the ffingers.

tance below the crankshaft. 29. AAl `smaller gear 3311s securedto the shaft 32 and meshes with a larger Igear- 34. on the shaft 29, Power Vis ltransmitted 'to the shaft 32 from .anysuitable-source `oflsupply, and is preferably `transmitted by a belt which turns a pulley 35 which'is secured to the shaft 32.

"Av plurality 4of knives 36 and 36y are carried'by-theframes 13 withtheir knife edges extending inwardly for cutting engagement with potatoes A:forced through the passages The knife 36 eX- tends .in `crossed relation to the knives 36 andis preferably arrangedslightly inwardly fromtheknives 36, and actsas a guide for the pistonsin addition lto cutting the potatoes .two pieces, as thepistons have-Vdiametral slots 37 at .both ends extending inwardly therefrom .to permit the pistons to .D vride-'overthe advancedknife 36.

Thefseedpotatoea which it is-desired to cutvinto pieces suitable for planting in the suitable manner.

ing to the potatoes falls through the opening 21 and is taken away from the device in any The turning of the crankshaft 29 causes a reciprocal movement ofthe pistons 25, and when the'pistons move forward in the chambers 2O all of the potatoes Awithin the chambers are forced out of l'the chambers and through the tubes definedfby the spring fingers 22. The pistons 2,5 force the potatoes against the inner edges ofthe knives 36 36 which cuit the potatoes into thc desired number of pieces, the ycutpotatoes falling outwardly from the forward frame 13. The return movement of the pistons carries the potatoes which have subsequently fallen into the chambers 20 backward to the knives 36 and 3G and when the potatoes are cut the pieces fallv outwardly from the rear frame 13.

From the foregoing it will be seen that all lost motion of the pistons 25 has been eliminated as both the rforward and the return movements of the pistons operate to cutpotatoes, making it possible' to cut twice the number of potatoes which would ordinarily be cut. e

1t is of course understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the details .of construction and design of the above specifically described :embodiment of the invention without departing from* the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is: A

1. In a seed potato cutter, an inclined table adapted to receive potatoes and havin@ an opening at its lower end through vsiich potatoes are adapted to fall, a frame adapted to hold said table in an inclinedposition, means for catching the potatoes falling through said openings, reciprocating pistons for forcing the vpotatoes outwardly from said catching means, a pair of vtubular members extending in opposite directions from said catching means, knives mounted in crossed relation to the ends of said tubular members, and lpistons slidably mounted for reciprocating movement through `the catching means and tubular members whereby potatoes may be moved outof lthe catching means first in one direction and then inthe opposite direction and forced. into yengagement with the cutting" knives. s e

2. Al seed potato cutter comprising a frame, an inclined table arranged upon'the frame andy adapted to receive potatoes `for cutting, said table `having an opening at its inner end, a tubular chamberhaving an opening in its upper surface for receiving potatoes falling through said opening in said table, open frames arranged in spaced relation to said chambers at opposite sides thereof, knives secured to said open frames, guide springs defining yieldable tubes arranged between said chamber and said open frames, and means movable through the chamber and yieldable tubes for forcing potatoes from said chamber through the tubes and into engagement with said knives so as to cut the potatoes into a predetermined number of pieces.

3. In a seed potato cutter, an inclined table having upstanding sides, a frame structure adapted to hold said inclined table, said table being secured at its lower end to said frame structure and having openings therein extending inwardly from said lower end, said openings being adapted to receive potatoes of 4various sizes, a plurality of chambers below said openings for catching the potatoes, a plurality of radially inclined resilient bars extending outwardly from said chambers and terminating at their outer ends in a plurality of supports, said bars being adapted to guide potatoes forced from said chambers, a plurality of horizontally disposed pistons mounted within said bars, a crosshead for normally holding said pistons in horizontal position, a bearing on said frame for said crosshead, a plurality of knives arranged on said supports in line with said pistons at opposite ends of said bars, and operating means for reciprocating said pistons in a horizontal direction between said knives for forcing potatoes into engagement therewith.

4. A seed potato cutter, comprising a frame, a plurality of receiving members for potatoes, a feeding table on the frame disposed in inclined position with its lower end over said receiving members and having openings registering with said members intermediate their ends, a plurality of vertical partitions disposed in the feeding table near its inner end and being spaced apart con secutively at increasing distances to accommodate potatoes varying in size and said openings corresponding to the width of said spaces, knives arranged in the opposite ends of said receiving members, and reciprocating pistons mounted in said receiving members and adapted to traverse said openings in the table whereby to alternately receive potatoes against the opposite ends of the pistons in said receiving members for forcing the potatoes against said knives.

PETER KNUDSEN. 

